Adapting on the Fly
by Waywatcher
Summary: One-Shot. Robin asks Rosalina and Luma to battle her so that she can study them, and despite the tactician tripping over her words the whole time, the duo agrees. Now Robin just has to figure out how to beat them...


**Disclaimer** **: I don't own Smash Bros.**

 **Just another addition to my little Robin series where they can't speak straight to save their life. I just love them, they're a blast to write. Maybe I'll move them all to one story at some point. I also took some liberties with Toon Link's personality, seeing as he pretty much lacked one entirely.**

 **Can I be honest? I always though 'thoron' was spelt and pronounced 'thoro** **r** **n'**

* * *

The white-haired girl walked briskly through the hallway. Her stride was bold, her shoulders squared. She was the very picture of confidence with her double ponytails flowing out behind her.

Now if only she _felt_ as confident as she looked.

The truth was that Robin was going to speak with one of the more reclusive members of the mansion, a new smasher (like herself) by the name of Rosalina. The problem here was that Robin was socially inept, and she was very much aware of it. Even a simple conversation was liable to be ruined by the tactician's poor conversation skills.

Yet, even her own personal failing would not stop her pursuit of knowledge! She intended to gather information about _all_ of her adversaries, and her own inability to hold a proper conversation was not going to stop her!

But still, despite her internal pep talk, Robin couldn't help but be nervous. Knowing her luck, she'd crash and burn on the first sentence. The tactician just prayed that Naga would have mercy on her and allow for a somewhat normal conversation this time.

She finally stopped in front of Rosalina's door. The white-haired girl took a deep breath, steeling herself, and knocked. She waited nervously for a response, resisting the urge to fiddle with her hair or tap her foot as she stood there, waiting.

After two minutes of waiting with no response, Robin decided to try again. She raised her hand to knock on the door-

"Oh, hello."

-and spun around in surprise when a voice spoke up right behind her. The tactician placed a hand on her heart, feeling it beat rapidly. She wasn't sure how these three had snuck up on her, but it certainly caught her off guard.

The lady in front of her was very tall, standing a good head and a bit higher than Robin. She had pale, peach-colored skin and light blonde hair that covered one of her brilliant blue eyes. She wore a plain blue dress that fell past her ankles. The last few details of note were the small wand and the silver crown on her head. Robin recognized her as Rosalina from her file, and couldn't help but feel like she was in the presence of royalty when the lady looked down at her.

" _That small star-shaped thing must be Luma then._ " Robin though, noting the yellow, star shaped creature that floated by the lady's side, and staring down at the tactician curiously.

The last person was unfamiliar, though Robin knew he wasn't a newcomer. He looked like one of the veterans, Link, but smaller. He had blonde hair, closer to yellow rather than true blonde, and eyes that seemed to lack irises, instead just having large black pupils. The tell-tale green elf-hat and tunic gave him a resemblance to the hero of time. The small metal sword, boomerang, and bow sheathed on his back along with a quiver full of arrows, and the bag on his hip was filled to the bursting with spherical bombs made it clear that this boy, despite appearance, was skilled, or at least experienced, in the ways of combat. There were a few other things of import though, like the small wand tucked into his shirt pocket or the shield covering the sheaths and quiver on his back. He seemed to be somewhat suspicious of the tactician, giving her a sharp glance when he noticed her studying him.

"Were you looking to speak with me?" Rosalina asked softly, clasping her hands elegantly in front of her.

"Ah! Yes!" Robin nodded rapidly. "I was hoping to task yo- _ask_ you to help me with something."

"Of course," She said graciously, giving a small nod. "I would be glad to help, if you think I could be of assistance."

"I need you to stab you." Robin said without thinking.

There's silence for a moment as what she just said sinks in. The first one to act was the green kid.

"Hey! You can't do that!" He yelled, glaring at the white-haired girl intensely, his hand moving to his sword hilt. "What did she ever do to you?"

"No, no, nothing!" The tactician said, waving her hands frantically. "I just played that wrong!"

"Played it wrong?" The boy snarled. "What are you up to villain?"

"Peace Toon." The lady says soothingly, leaning down to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It was merely a slip of the tongue, yes?" She looks at the panicking girl for confirmation.

"Y-Yeah!" She nods. "Just ripping the tongue." Robin desperately try to correct herself. "Uh, just tripping over my worms- _Words_ , yes, words, not worms."

The boy, Toon, continues to glare distrustfully. Rosalina just smiles though. "It is fine, do not worry." She says understandingly. "Now, what is it you wanted to ask?"

Robin takes a calming breath, carefully choosing her words. She was doing particularly bad this time around and didn't want to slip up again."I," she said slowly, making sure she didn't slip up "want to learn how you fight."

The lady blinks. "Why is that?"

"I like to be prepared." Robin says simply. "If I'm going to need to murder you all later, I want to study you as much as possible beforehand."

"I presume," The lady laughs softly, "that you are referring to the tournament, yes?"

"Right!" Robin nods rapidly. "Not like, murder murder, I mean murder like knockout murder, you know?"

"No, I don't." Toon hisses. "Miss Rosalina, don't trust her. She's suspicious."

"I appreciate your concern Toon." Rosalina hums. "But do not worry. I trust that she bears me no ill will."

"Grr…" Toon growls. "Fine…"

"And it is simply, 'Rosalina', you need not address me as 'Miss'." The lady adds, smiling down at her guide.

The boy huffs and crosses his arms, looking away with a pout. "I know that." He grumbles. "Just being polite…"

Luma, who was watching all of this silently, chirps lightly, grabbing our attentions. It flutters off down the hall before turning to the other smashers, clearing wanting them to follow.

"Luma is right." Rosalina hums. "I do not have much time today, so we must make this swift. However I would be more than happy to help you for a longer time on a later date."

"Thanks!" Robin cheers. "Right then, let's go!"

The four of them make their way to the arena room. Rosalina and Luma take their places on one teleportation pad while Robin stands on the other. Toon sits in the stands, still frowning at the tactician.

The actual arena floor is plain white and rather bland. It's just there to have a place to put the teleporters, which are small metal platforms about one meter in radius. The stands are a bit more colorful, being made of dark oak and the walls behind them having a deep maroon color. A giant display screen is on the wall across from the stands; at the moment it was showing the stage selection.

"Do you have a preference?" Robin asks eagerly, looking at all of the stages as she flicks through them on the holographic display at her fingertips.

"I am content with whatever you wish." The lady says calmly. Luma chirps at her side, waving at the girl across the arena.

"Alright then." The tactician licks her lips, tapping the option that read 'Battlefield'. The white-haired girl doesn't want anything extreme, she just wants to see what Rosalina can do. "Let's go then."

The three disappear from their platforms as the teleporters activate. A moment later, they find themselves standing on the two side platforms of the stage Robin had just selected. Rosalina twirls her wand experimentally, much to Luma's joy, and Robin pulls out her weapons as they wait for the countdown.

Rosalina's wand is a rather dainty thing, being thin and ending in a star shape. It's a stark contrast to the large, clunky, spiky sword that Robin wields. Additionally, Robin has a yellow tome in her hand. Both of the tactician's weapons crackle with electricity as she readies them, pouring in a bit of magical energy. Rosalina's weapon, on the other hand, has no obvious sign of being magic at all; looking for all the world like a child's toy.

"THREE"

All three fighters perk up when Master Hand's recorded voice blares over the stage.

"TWO"

Rosalina brushes the dust off her dress and holds up her wand, Luma throws a few practice punches, and Robin leveles her sword at her foes while holding her tome behind her.

"ONE"

They all tense, ready for battle.

"GO!"

Rosalina was swift in sending Luma flying at the tactician after a brief charge, though not so quickly as to be unavoidable. The white-haired girl simply takes a step to the side, letting Luma pass her by. She tries to charge her thunder, but is hit from behind by the small star and knocked down to the main floor.

Robin rolls away, trying to gain distance from Luma, but ends up too close to Rosalina and is hit by dust from her wand, which packs a surprising punch.

Now, the tactician is far from stupid. She sees the strategy here: Rosalina and Luma are trying to ping-pong her between the two, keeping her from charging her thunder and making any of her other tomes risky at best. Not one to keep trying something that wouldn't work, Robin leapt up into the air and onto the uppermost platform. Just as she expected, Rosalina pursues, but without Luma there to back her up Robin easily block her attack and retaliate with nosferatu, healing back the damage she had sustained.

"I see your strategy." The white-haired girl murmurs as nosferatu wore off and the two leapt away from each other. "But it won't work on me."

"That is quite alright." Rosalina hums, calling Luma back to her. "That is far from all I can do."

The duo flew straight at Robin, prompting the tactician to throw out a thunder; however Luma was in the front and took the hit, allowing Rosalina to continue on. The lady in blue made an odd diving motion, which had surprising force and sent the tactician flying into the air. Rosalina then leaps up, performing a slow, graceful midair flip that trails dust, and sends Robin even further off the side of the stage.

"Elwind!" Robin hollers, shoving the blades of wind downwards and backwards to push herself close enough to the ledge to grab it. Rosalina and Luma patiently wait for her to pull herself back on stage before resuming their attack.

The three combatants fight for a few minutes, with Robin mostly getting battered around by the duo. Rosalina was much more strategic about separating from Luma, which meant most of Robin's attacks just hit the little star, dealing very little damage to the tall lady herself.

Robin wasn't too proud to admit it, she's stuck. There are a couple things she could do against the duo: AOE attacks like arcthunder and thoron, but they take too long to charge to be useful as a primary damage source. Luma's ability to soak damage is just too oppressive.

" _There has to be something I can do._ " The tactician muses, dodging a spray of star bits. She blocks the follow-up attack from Luma and counters with a quick jab from her blade. " _Something I can do about… Of course!_ "

It was so obvious, Robin didn't know how she hadn't thought of it before. She didn't _need_ to target Rosalina at all! She can just take out Luma first!

" _Geeze, I must be off my game to miss something like_ _that_." Robin sighs at herself. " _Alright, let's take out Luma. Don't be afraid to bash it with your sword._ "

Sidestepping Luma's next strike, Robin brings her levin sword down on its head, knocking it to the floor. She jumps over Rosalina as the lady tries to knock her away and throws out a quick slice behind her which clips Rosalina on the leg, staggering the otherwise elegant lady.

"Time to tip the scales." The tactician mutters under her breath, delivering a powerful strike to Luma upon landing, that sends the little star flying off stage. " _Just me and her now._ "

Blocking a strike from Rosalina, Robin counterattacks with another nosferatu. When the spell finishes, Robin casts out a stored arcthunder, trapping her foe in place long enough to dash in and stab her in the stomach.

It doesn't leave a mark of course, it's not even that painful; Master Hand's magic made sure of that. To Robin, it's disconcerting to not see a wound after burying your sword hilt deep into someone's stomach.

Weird stage mechanics aside, the attack still has the desired effect of inflicting more damage. I knocks Rosalina a fair bit back, giving Robin the space to cast more spells.

Without Luma there to be a pain, Robin fares far better. She beats back Rosalina with a slew of arcfires and thunders. When the lady is backed against the edge of the stage, Robin charges in, swinging her levin sword over her head to deliver-

"Prooo." The familiar trill of Luma was all the warning Robin gets before the star creature reappears and slams her in the stomach, sending the tactician sprawling across the stage.

Too surprised to get up quickly, she is powerless against the duo when they finished her off with a devastating blast of magic power. She flies off the stage, eyes wide with shock as she hits the magic barrier and was officially KOed.

"AND THE WINNER IS… ROSALINA AND LUMA!"

###

The familiar sensation of being teleported, a tingle of electricity going up your spine, announces to Robin her return to the arena. Almost instantly Toon jumps off the stands and rushes over.

"Okay, you're done, let's go!" He says insistently, tugging at Rosalina's sleeve. "You had something to do right?"

"I am not so pressed for time Toon." Rosalina says soothingly as she pets Luma on the head, congratulating it for a job well done. She turns to the tactician. "Well fought. Was that satisfactory for your purposes?"

"I'll outfit that was frightni-, I mean I'll _admit_ that was _enlightening_." The girl responds, tripping over her words again now that the fight was over. "But it'd be ice to crow- _nice_ to _know_ more about your moves. If you have more dimes later, would you mind entertaining me?" She pauses, "Uh, I mean-"

"Yes Robin," Rosalina smiles in amusement, completely ignoring the protests of Toon, "I would be happy to aid you with your research."

"Yes!" The tactician crows, clenching her fist in victory. "So tomorrow then, same time; does that work?"

"I can accommodate that." Rosalina nods.

"Great!" Robin smiles wildly. "Alright then, I need to go ruin my pencil, so I'll see you at night!" She waves frantically as she dashes from the room, speeding back to her own to write down what she had learned.

"I don't trust her." Toon says in a grumpy tone after a moment, glaring at Rosalina. "Why'd you agree to help her?"

"She struck me as eager, but harmless." Rosalina murmurs, allowing Luma to take off her crown and plop the silver piece onto its own head. "Why do you distrust her?"

"Did you hear what she said earlier?" Toon cries. "'I need to stab you'!? That's a sign of villainy! Not to mention she had a spiky sword and used dark magic, only bad guys use those!"

"Really now?" Rosalina hums.

"Yeah!" Toon nods fervently. "Like Ganondorf and uh… And…" He pauses. "I'm sure there are others!" He cries after a moment, realizing he didn't have another example on hand.

"Perhaps. However, I would prefer to give her the benefit of the doubt." The elegant lady explains calmly. "Perhaps she lacks skill with words and equips herself with threatening equipment, but we should not judge her by that alone, yes?"

"Alright..." Toon says reluctantly. "I'm just trying to looks out for you Miss Rosalina, because you're new and all."

"And I appreciate it." The lady smiles. "I could not have asked for a better guide." She pauses. "Though I do believe your guide duties ended several days ago...?"

"I'm a hero!" The boy announces proudly, thumping his chest. "You said you needed help earlier, so I helped! A hero _always_ helps those in need!"

Rosalina laughs softly, much to the confusion of both Luma and Toon. They both share a look and, after a moment, shrug in unison.

"Well," The elegant lady says, still smiling. "I do believe that I will be heading back to my room again. My thanks for your help today Toon Link."

"Just Toon." The green boy nods. "And it was no problem, because I'm-"

"-a hero!" They both finish at the same time. Rosalina laughs again before motioning Luma to follow as she glides to the door. When it slides open, she pauses, looking back into the room. "Toon?" She asks after a moment, eyes sparkling in amusement, "will you escort me back?"

"Of course!" The boy cheers eagerly. "The hero will lead the way!"

With his two charges in tow, the little green boy leads them confidently back to their room, leaving the arena door to hiss closed behind them.

* * *

 **Okay, this is a thing. I can't really say what drove me to add Toon Link, or to make him a guide, but I thought it would be unique and kinda cute, so I went with it. I like the entire 'hero' mentality he has, I find it rather endearing.**


End file.
